"We started with oysters Rockefeller, which were excellent—definitely something any fine restaurant in a major city would be proud to serve. For our main courses, Cheryl ordered redfish while I went with scallops. The waitress was pleasant and attentive, and our food arrived promptly. The unfortunate part was that we couldn’t properly see our plates; the darkness made it difficult to even tell if we had been served food from another table. There’s an old saying that “the eyes eat first,” and it rang true here; beautifully presented dishes can be highly appealing.
By the time we left, I was still quite hungry. My scallops were delicious, earning a solid 4.8 stars from me. However, Cheryl wasn't pleased with her redfish. I asked her about it, and the waitress seemed unsure too. I eventually suggested we swap plates, and when we did, I could barely make out what was on her plate. The first few bites tasted fine, but then the spice kicked in. I usually enjoy spicy food—things like Chinese, Thai, and Mexican—which often have some heat, but this was over the top.
My scallops had wonderful, subtle flavors that were very savory, while the redfish was overwhelmed by peppers, making it hard to taste anything else. I found myself ignoring my wine and desperately needing water. As we finished up our meal, our waitress, Danielle, asked if we’d like dessert. I initially said no, but she kindly offered us bread pudding on the house for my birthday. Although it sounded nice, all I could smell was candle wax, and my palate was numb from the spicy fish. I took Cheryl's word that the bread pudding was good, but I couldn't really see it from across the table.
So that was my $200 birthday dinner. I don’t think I even finished my wine and I was glad we didn’t splurge on a full bottle. Instead, I kept drinking water, and when the check came, I had to pull out my phone again just to see how much to tip. I honestly don’t plan on going back. Spending $200 for that experience was quite disappointing. Frank Stitt really should be embarrassed, and I wouldn’t recommend Blueprint to anyone. Next birthday, I might just opt for Pizza Hut instead."
Birmingham
